


He Misses You

by RainbowArches



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-03-02 16:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2818877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowArches/pseuds/RainbowArches
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Happy 63rd, Nick. Go visit Peggy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Misses You

Sometimes Peggy woke up with her training intact, sometimes she didn’t. She knew she was slipping, so she always took full advantage of the times she woke up sharp and young. This was one of those times. She didn’t open her eyes. It was the middle of the night, judging by the brand of silence. She could feel a presence next to her. She recognized it from the smell, so she knew she wasn’t in danger. She also knew he’d made the effort to smell recognizable, or he wouldn’t smell like anything. Just this once, he wanted to be detected. She smiled.

“Happy birthday, Nicholas.”

“Thanks.”

She opened her eyes to look at him. He needed a good rest and a wash, judging by the state of him. He was obviously travelling alone, and she supposed he was having a harder time keeping up than he did when he was younger. He had seen better days. Still, he shouldn’t have come back to some place so familiar, no matter how careful she was sure he’d been. She couldn’t muster up the level of stern that she used to, but she tried. “What are you doing here? You know better.”

“I missed you. Wanted to be with someone good for a while.”

She turned her hand over, palm up, offering it to him. He took it.

“How old are you now?”

“Sixty-three.”

She let out a sort of choked laugh. “Oh my lord.”

He grinned. “Don’t get depressed about it, or I’m going to get depressed about it.”

“I can still remember when you were the size of my shoe.”

He ducked his head awkwardly, the way he did whenever she talked about his early childhood, like he’d prefer to believe he’d been born fully grown. “Bet you’re glad that’s over with,” he joked.

“On the contrary, you far less a pain in the ass as an infant.”

“Ha ha.”

She stroked his knuckles with her thumb fondly, as they settled into comfortable silence. She wants to enjoy having him here, now while she’s still in the present and still recognizes him.

“You’ve done brilliantly, Nicholas,” she tells him, sincerely. “Never doubt that.”

He stares at her, with more genuine feeling than was prudent for an agent to show. She thinks he might argue, or cry, or leave, but he doesn’t. He swallows and squeezes her hand. “Thank you,” he says, and means it.


End file.
